My name is Kevin, after doing two tandem jumps at SkydiveAZ I am now committing myself to the next level of going solo.

I have spent many nights at working looking at gear and "packages" to obtain my license however reading is only half the battle and now would like to gain firsthand knowledge from people who actually do this for a living.

Some basic questions I have is, what is an average price to get fully qualified? I have seen prices range from 1000.00 to 4000.00. When it comes to gear, is there a golden rule where you want to buy all new gear? Of course I know there are several factors that go into these questions and thus a overview would be helpful.

I am typically always available to talk, and if you care to take a personal interest in helping me out by all means send a private message and I will be more than happy to listen.

I can't help you too much as far as packages and pricing, but I can tell you that used gear is the way to go at the beginning. It's much more reasonably priced, and what you jump for your first 50 jumps may not be what you end up staying on.

My personal opinion, don't necessarily buy anything, used or new, right away. Get through your license, see how you feel, then work on getting gear. I bought goggles and an altimeter near the beginning, because I wanted consistency with those . As far as canopies, I used rental gear all through AFF and just recently acquired a great set of used gear. Good luck and keep us posted!

agrees completely, with echen; the gear is included in your training and you will downsize at least once during that training. yes, look over existing ads but don't feel pressed to buy too soon. unless you are extraordinarily large there is plenty of gear, and if large over 230 pounds, gear still exists. then, prepare to get your first gear dirty, sliding in and getting caught in unusual winds. first gear is never 'be all end all gear'.

That for sure isnt my demographic, and now that you both said to use rental gear its something I can understand...how many times do we buy stuff just to replace it quickly after because we find out what we really want!!